Halfa Downworlder
by Unknown by You
Summary: Danny, Simon's cousin, comes to New York to visit Simon. Simon catches Danny dupicating himself and thinks that he is a new species of Downworlder, but Magnus reveals that Danny is something else.


**This is set in the second Mortal Instruments book—the day after Simon is "reborn" as a vampire.**

**Also, Simon catches Danny testing his duplication skills in **_**human**_** form. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

**Clary's POV**

Luke, Jace, Alec, Isabelle, and Magnus, and I were sitting in Luke's living room on various pieces of furniture. After coming to Luke's house from visiting Jocelyn—who was, unfortunately, still in her magically induced coma—in the critical care unit of Beth Israel hospital, I had gotten a call from Simon telling me to get the others—I had been surprised when he had told me to also get Magnus—and that he would meet them at Luke's house at sunset. I had tried to ask him what for, but he only said that he had something bring to our attention, and then he had hung up. While we were waiting, Jace felt the need to bring Simon's…new condition…to everyone's attention, and did so.

There was a sudden loud knock at the door. The sun had just set, so it had to be Simon.

"I got it. I think its Simon," I said as I moved towards Luke's front door.

As I opened the door, I saw Simon, and an unfamiliar boy. He was smaller than Simon and I could see that he was really skinny, even though he wore a big white t-shirt with a red oval in the middle and baggy jeans. He looked to be about the age of fourteen. He had messy black hair with wild bangs that stuck up off his forehead, and blue eyes.

The boy stepped forward into the house, before promptly stumbling a few feet and falling flat onto his stomach. He immediately started to get back up again, struggling in the process. At first I thought the kid was just clumsy, and had tripped over his own two red-and-white sneakered feet, but when I saw that his hands were tied together behind his back with some rope, I realized that Simon had shoved the boy inside. I turned to look at Simon, who had now stepped inside, with a confused expression, hoping for some kind of explanation.

But I didn't get one. "I have got to get used to my new strength," he muttered. He glanced at me as he moved further into the living room. "Don't just stand there. Close the door. I don't want him to escape."

I closed the door and went back to my seat on Luke's couch next to Luke himself. Simon quickly moved over to the boy, who had finally just stood up, and grabbed him by the front of his shirt. The kid cried out, surprised, as Simon shoved him up against the nearby wall—the kid's feet were dangling in the air at least a foot off the floor.

And then the kid spoke. "Jeez o flip, Simon. I'm your cousin, not your prisoner."

"Be quiet!" Simon yelled at the smaller boy.

"Since when did you become Dash?" the kid asked Simon.

"This is not about _me_, this is about _you_." Simon said.

Luke sat up a little straighter next to me on the couch. "Simon, what's going on?"

"Yeah, Simon, what are you doing?" the boy asked nervously.

Simon turned towards Luke, but his hold on the boy never loosened. "This is **not** my cousin. Well, he _is_ my cousin, but not _entirely_. I mean he can _do_ things, things that a _human_ should never be able to do," Simon said, glancing from the kid, to Luke, and back again.

"So,…you think the boy is a demon,…or a Downworlder?" Luke said as the kid's blue eyes widened.

"A demon? He can't be serious. Simon, tell me he isn't serious. I'm not a demon. Wait…what's a Downworlder?" the kid asked, wide-eyed and panicky at first, and then confused.

Simon ignored him. "I don't think he is a demon. I think he might possibly be a new species of…_something_…that fits into the Downworlder category," Simon said seriously. Suddenly, Simon's eyes widened. "Crap. I think we just gave away too much information."

Luke stood up. "Maybe, maybe not. Let him go. If he's smart, he won't try to escape," he said as he walked over.

"Fine, but his hands are staying tied." Simon said. Simon let go, and the boy lightly dropped down. Luke stood next to Simon now, and stared down at the boy, who was a nervous wreck. "You said he could do things. What kind of things? And when did they happen?" Luke asked Simon.

"Well, he came early this morning, saying that my mother had spoken to his mother and had arranged for him to stay for awhile. I led him to his room and told him that I was going back to bed. Since I'm now nocturnal, and I couldn't go out in the daylight, I slept until noon, which was much less sleep than I wanted, but I got up to fix him some lunch. When I came into his room, he didn't seem to know that I was there. I saw him with an expression of deep concentration, and then suddenly, there was another…_him…_standing right next to the real him," Simon said.

The boy's eyes widened again, and he started to move away from Simon; his back pressed against the wall. "You saw that?" he asked nervously.

"Yes, I did, Danny," Simon said, finally using the boy's name.

Danny, still looking pretty nervous, had now backed himself into a corner and fell down onto his knees. "Simon, who are these people? And why are they looking at me like _that_?" he said, looking at Magnus, who was lounging in a nearby armchair with a thoughtful expression.

Danny was ignored by Simon again. "Anything to share, Magnus?" Luke asked.

With the same expression, Magnus stood up and walked over to Danny. When he reached him, he knelt down in front of the boy, so that they were practically the same height—Magnus was a little taller—and they just stared at each other for a few moments. Then, suddenly, Magnus flung his hand toward the boy's face. But it never touched his face. Danny flinched, expecting to be slapped, but became nervous once again as Magnus plucked a piece of the younger boy's hair off his head. Magnus examined the hair, and, slowly, I saw the hair turn white. I watched as Magnus turned back to face Danny, and the two had another silent staring contest. I realized that everyone, myself included, were kind of leaning forward, waiting for something to happen. Several minutes went by.

Magnus stood up. "I need to talk to the boy alone. We'll be in the kitchen," he said. "Come on, Danny."

But Danny didn't leave the corner.

Magnus sighed. "I don't bite, you know," he said.

Danny stood up, but still stayed in the corner. He looked pleading at Simon. "I'd listen to him if I were you," Simon said in response.

Danny hesitated another moment in the corner, before finally moving over to Magnus, and following him into the kitchen.


End file.
